It’s the end of the game, my team is down one, there are eight seconds and counting on the clock and the ball is in my hands. I search the stands to find the one person who has been there for me my entire life. Only he’s not there. It’s easy to get caught up in the game; not the game of basketball, but the dope game. It is a life few choose, but many find themselves in due to the harsh reality of job loss and depression. Unfortunately, my father fell into the trap, and it has had an impact on my life ever since.
The last three years have been the hardest of my entire life. Once he was caught, everything that followed happened so fast. It seemed like something new surfaced each day. Many questions swirled in my head as to what would happen to
“It is only a game” is a common saying I have heard several times in my life. However, it does not explain the crazy actions and immense passion I experience on the PIT floor for basketball games. These feelings reached a pinnacle point during my freshman year basketball game against our arch-rivals, the Bettendorf Bulldogs. “If we can keep Bear from posting up and scoring, we should be win the game,” my friend Bryce analyzed. I responded, “We will need to shoot the three ball to have a chance, Bettendorf is a really good team”.
This psychological assignment requires us to break a social norm. In my case, I decided to break an appearance social norm. I thought in something weird, but at the same time really funny. Therefore, I entered to my little walking closet and I took the most brilliant and extravagant high heels shoes that I found to wear them at a place when people usually used flip flops.
Lani: I was helping for someone’s project for COMM 245; I was in the video lab, in the studio. I was on campus and decided to contact everyone I knew who comes to the school. I remember I sent out a snap saying guys I think there is a shooting, be careful and then I started sending out individual texts to people making sure they were okay, like hey are you good? Stay out of an area.
It happened on June 11, 2015. My lacrosse team won our regional quarter final game the previous day—I scored my personal best of five goals and was named Player of the Game. As a reward for the win, my coach gave us a three hour practice the next day that was strictly conditioning—leaving the seniors 30 minutes to go home, shower, change, and drive to our Senior Dinner at Bowdoin College. I raced home from practice, my sweat sticking to the car leather seats, music blasting, and the wind in my hair. I had the future on my mind: playoffs, graduation, summer, and college.
Bam, the runner hit the ball. She dropped the bat and ran to first base. Safe, she kept on running to second. As I watched her run I realize she wasn’t stopping at second, or third. Rounding third base, she sprinted to home plate.
(when in the huddle before each game, listening to coach Vandermulen and our two captains fire us up, I am more than eager to start the game, to run long way down the court along side our fans, to make unbelievable passes without looking or behind my back, to be ready to catch and shoot, to score, or even to miss, but most of all, to play the game I love. I’m ready to do what I’ve loved since I picked up that basketball for the first time in third grade. I’m ready to be one with the team, to be a Roman. The intensity and emotions that come along with each game make me apart of that game. As a player, I live for the rivalries, the scrappy games that go down to the wire, the sweat.
One warm august night my sister Ellie and I watched the film Into the Wild. The story of Chris McCandless reconnecting with nature and going out on his own was profound to me. My mom was an avid hiker when she was younger and even climbed Mount Olympus, but as she’s gotten older and kids and life have taken over hiking hasn’t been much of priority. After the movie ended I told her I wanted to go on a short backpacking trip by myself before I had to go back to school and immediately my ten year old sister wanted to come with me. I agreed and we spent the next twenty four hours planning, packing and figuring out exactly where we were going.
GAME CHANGER Boom,the ball went flying. All my life I have loved and will always love baseball. I started playing when I was two years old. Ever since I 've been playing I have always wanted to do two things, hit a grandslam and rop a home run hit. “Today is the day,” is what I keep saying to myself.
Just 2 minutes left the sun half way set, the crowd cheering and most of all the scouts not blinking paying attention to every detail, play and decision each one of us makes, I see the ball come off the rim and the other team grab the rebound and their other play already across the court just past half court I knew what I had to do. With no thought or anything I break out running across the court chasing their player knowing he was going for a fast break lay-up I knew I could catch there was no doubt about it but the question was would I block the ball or not I can feel the eyes staring at us curiously wonder what will happen. Just like I predicted I see his hand turn upside down getting ready to lay it up I take 2 more steps and leap as hard as I can towards the ball staring at the ball and nothing else all I cared about was saving my team from those 2 points and looking good on the court and on that stats sheets, that was a decision I would later pay for. I did what I had practice and done hundreds of times before at the park I swat my hand towards the ball as hard as I can, I hear when my hand hits it and it bounces off the backboard not thinking about my landing instead of preparing for the fall I prepare myself to start running back across court but that wouldn’t happen when I landed I felt a pop in my knee’s
I quickly finished tying my shoe and hopped onto my purple mountain bike and we were off. Logan my brother who I love sometimes,Cassie My best friend, Easton Cassie’s brother,Sawyer Cassie’s brother, Mr. Wychers and I were going to ride our bikes through a trail off in the woods and go to Whistle stop and then cut through town and head to Houseman's. The sky was cloudy and the daylight was being blocked by a thick dark cloud, which looked a lot like a rain cloud. We started to cut through a dead cornfield, lifeless tall brown and crusty plants sat in a single spot and as the soft wind blew the once luscious herbs. I felt the dead greens slap me in the leg and burrs got stuck to my pant leg.
Entering my junior year of high school, I felt compelled to start a Bible study at my school. I enlisted some of my friends, and we began building the foundation of, Alive. We were aware that we would face animosity from peers, but we wouldn’t let it stop us. Unfortunately, administration was worried that we would spark an uprising of groups who wanting the opposite of what we were about. The red tape of separation of church and state was brought to our attention, even though we were not doing anything wrong.
Sweat was dripping down my face, you could feel the tension in the air as both teams seemed to stare each other down. The game was drawing to a close as we set up our offense a couple more times. These last few plays would determine the game. The last quarter of the game commenced.
I’m a first generation american on my father's side and second generation on my mothers. In large part, who I am today, is a direct reflection of them immigrating to this country. I learned hard work, determination, and commitment through stories they shared with me about the lives they built when they arrived to America. I’m proud of my roots and the legacy that my parents and grandparents have instilled in me and much of who I am today is a reflection of their own hard work.
I woke up before the Sun shined through my window. I happily stretched and got out of bed. I put on my business uniform, because I had been promoted. As the new executive manager of Walmart, I had to move to the central office in San Francisco. I booked the first flight in the morning, because I wanted to tour the building with my co-workers.
One of my best friends had a dream a few years back. We were sitting on a beach somewhere with rocks around us and she looks at me and says, “I know you’ll have a beautiful journey, but I’m going to miss you Steph.” “It’s okay Tams, I’ll be right back. I just have to meet someone at the lighthouse,” I replied.